Why should I use Google Plus?

I usually stay out of the meta discussions regarding G+ and why and how it should be used. It is many dedicated people with much knowledge about social media on G+ that share and help the newcomers to manage and find out how to use G+. Despite this, many new users often is more confused than enlightened by the information they get from superusers, evangelists and community managers, and the same questions arises: Why should I use G+? Give me a reason why? No one is following me? Where are my friends?

There may be no exact answers to these questions, but then that is in the nature of G+. 

First, G+ is not what it seems. Most new users are familiar with other social networks that for the most locks their users in to a portal solution. Facebook is a product of an evolution of portals that has been going on for more than a decade. Web 1.0 gave us Angelfire, The Globe and My Space among others. Those had some interaction with the rest of the web because of the very limitations of Web 1.0 had regarding implementing crossover services and applications.  Web 2.0 brought us Facebook and changed the game by offering a lot more within its boundaries. Users did not need to leave Facebook anymore to get what they wanted. For many Facebook became Internet for that very reason. 

So what make G+ different? G+ may at first glance seem very similar to Facebook and the more traditional approaches we have seen for years, but it’s not. G+ is the step towards Web 3.0 and semantics. It is intended as a hub for all of Googles services, and I am sure you use many of them already. For Google it is important to interconnect Search, Youtube, Newsgroups and make it all integrated with each other to greater extent than ever before. You may at this point ask yourself: Isn’t this what everyone else does? It is both a yes and no to that. Google need the rest of the web more than any to make its business go around. They have no interest in locking their users in as much as making the rest of the net accessible through their services. The whole idea of semantic bases on associative databases will make their business, but that is a whole other discussion. 

So, you are here. What to do and what matters? Most of your friend are not here, yet. It has been repeated over and over that G+ is about sharing interrests, opinions and passions. Is that it? Now there is many ways in to this. To get many followers is not paramount to enjoy G+ even that for some it is. 

Ask yourself these questions: What do I want to share, why and with who? What is important to me and why do I engage? Do I create, curate or consume content? G+ may look a bit like Facebook, but the way users engage is far more similar to Twitter with less limitations. Anyone can add you and you can add anyone. If anyone add you without you adding them back, they can only see what you post publicly. Public posts also get indexed by Google and will come up in searches on Google search. Anyone, on G+ or not, can read. Those that follow you will get it in their stream and may respond and engage with you. 

So how to get followers? Is that important? Not necessarily. If I use myself as an example. On Twitter I do not post much. Not so many follow me, but I follow many. It is my big newsfeed. I don't need followers to enjoy it a lot. The same apply here. The most important is not who follow you, but who you follow. It will make your stream go alive and make it easier to engage with others through their posts. When you engage with others they will start engage with you and follow you if the share your interests, opinions and passions. If what you post is of interests people will start to follow you and engage back and maybe even share you with others in circle shares. If you are a content creator or curator, that is great. 

I'm not creating or have any interest in curating others content, you may ask. That's also fine. If you get people in your stream they will offer knowledge, new, fun and entertainment to you. You will have a wide array of Google services integrated for you to use and communicate more privately. Video conference through hangout with those you know privately, yes its free and is integrated with Gmail as well, or share with friends across the web regardless where they are. This do not apply towards Facebook as they have closed their doors for outside services they do not own or is affiliated directly with, because openness towards what they do not control scares them. But if you need Facebook, then keep your account there open. You don’t have to stop using Facebook to enjoy G+ and enjoy what it gives. What you make it, is what you choose to make it. No more, no less. 

If you feel that Googles own Suggested user list is not what you look for you can try +Best Shared Circle and similar pages to find good circles of people to add. I will also reccomend adding +Ivar Choi Espedalen and +Jaana Nyström that know a lot about G+ and is more than willing to share to share their knowledge with anyone that want to know more. For more on sosial media and G+ you sholuld check out +Morten Myrstad, the man that break down the statistics and numbers so it makes sense, and +Jorgen Poulsen with his thougths around SEO on G+ and other social media.+Johan Horak, the man that kicked my butt to publish this, also share interesting thoughts. 

I hope this help you having a great time on G+ and make your online life even richer and more engaging than ever. 

Managing information overload on Google+

Lately I have overheard the discussion on the issue of pinpointing what is shared in circles and that many complain about inconsistency in the type of information they receive in posts from circles made based on  interest. The flow of information many of us get thrown at us, may at first look seem human impossible to handle, so thank god for computers. They help us sort and do many tasks at once, even manage our vast G+ streams. It’s time to get in control with minimal effort needed.

I shall be the first to admit that the flow of information I receive each and every day may at first glance seem overwhelming to me and anyone peeking at it over my shoulder. The flow of information is so vast that it feel like a firehose directed at a teacup. I cannot absorb it all and if I try, I will probably break my mind down to something that resemble a bowl of oatmeal porridge more than a brain. Most probably I’m far from alone feeling this way. 

So what to do? The main stream flowing faster and faster as you add new people to follow, and you desperately try to sort it in to circles that will make sense to it all. Some based on interests and some based on people you find interesting for several reasons, but it still do not seem to help. People in your circles of interest man to often post stuff that is far from the topic of interest that made you make that circle. Well, guess what? People are still people and most of us has many sides to our lives and may share them out on a social.It may actually happen that a scientist at Cern share funny-gif or a post about his or hers vacation at Sunburn Beach.

So, what can you and I do to clean up this mess and get some system in this madness going on here on G+? You may have noticed the increased use of hashtags  in posts lately. It is getting increasingly common for a very simple reason, sorting on topics. When applying a hashtag   you set a topic on your post that not only defines it but also categorize it. Pretty neat, huh?

Google is still the worlds most powerful search engine, so use it. Search for a hashtag in the search field on top on your G+ page and get the stream for that tag. If the tag satisfy in its content you save it. You then get it as saved a search that in many aspects acts similar to a circle stream. You may also pinpoint that you want selected hash tag from a selected circle to narrow it further down and, voila, you got an amount of posted information that is manageable to a human being. 

But hey! I am still following thousands of people, and even saving hash tags do not help me? I have done all this? Thats a good and valid point and it can be handled in a swift and efficient way. If you use Chrome, every dedicated G+ user should use that, then you can get extended functionality with the add-ons offered. Personally I grew fond of G+ Hashtags add-on. It gives you the possibility to favorite your hashtags, get a count of how many of the different hash tags that is in your streams and, most important of all, let you mute hashtags that is not of interest to you or you feel is spamming your streams. You get it for free from the Chrome web store here:https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/elpbjkmmckiobkfmdboeldkbijddkfgc?hl=en-US

I hope this will help you get it all sorted out giving you an even better G+ experience and let you engage more in posts that is of interests to you. +martin shervington’s post: “7 steps to creating circles and throwing them like diamonds into cyberspace”:https://plus.google.com/u/0/114918475211209783081/posts/aXxJBdsn3aH ,may also be of interest for further reading on how to get sorted and organized on G+. I will also recommend following +Ivar Choi Espedalen  and +Mark Traphagen  They both post interesting articles regarding G+ and how to enhance the experience and get what you want from it. 

The rise of Google+

A while ago I wrote a piece on Google+ about why using Google+ that caught some attention. Back then Googles attempt to take on the world of social was doomed to failure by the so called social media experts, the tech press and media in general. Many didn't seem to comprehend what it was all about and the general public was lured in to believe it was Facebook but not Facebook. This was going on for quite a while and personally I felt it weird to look at this conception of what Google tried to do.

Almost 2 years down the road it still seem like many, including many tech journalists, is in denial or just don't see the elephant in the room of social media, Google. The Guardian had a an article about Facebook fatigue and how Facebook was loosing users. The writer did not mention Google and was writing some deranged stuff about a some new small social networks was threatening Facebook. Yes, it was deranged to not mention the fastest growing social network in history in my humble opinion. But then again, it doesn't really matter. I don't think Google grows because Facebook has developed in to some intrusive spam machine, I believe Google grows fast due to the fact it combines services and let people connect hassle free and let people communicate whatever they want without it being a terror to those not interested. Farmville anyone? 

I believe Google managed to grow Google+ user base by reaching those with dedicated interest and those not finding what they were looking for elsewhere. Photographers were the first to get followers in huge numbers. The engineers and tech geeks found their place to reside finding like minded and discuss what they often couldn't discuss among most of their friends an family. As time passed more people realized that they could meet new people sharing their interest no matter how weird it may seem to those not sharing that interest. Combined with making it easy to control what you shared with and providing an array of integrated services like hangouts, chat, mail, docs, storage and so much more, it became a tool in everyday life anyone could benefit from.

Google+ is nearing half a billion active users and there is a steady stream signing up and visit the stream every day, making Google+ the fastest growing social network in history. Google manage to keep 50% of the total global advertising market online without the users feeling bugged by it. Google managed to do this across it services gluing it together in a package no one, not even Facebook, can match.So why is "everyone" so skeptical?

My guess is that Google have problems communicating good enough what they are doing both to the press and internet users around the globe. When surveys report a usage at 7 minutes per user  versus almost 8 hours on Facebook like reported by Mashable, I actually tend to believe Google when they say that is way off the charts compared to their own data on how Google is used by its active users. I dunno how the usage is metered by those releasing the figures, but something do not seem right and that figures may be questionable. The figures also still seem to separate the services from each other. Youtube and Google+ still is measured as separate services. The reason is probably that many Youtube users has not merged their accounts yet. The question is how these statistics will look the day Google managed to merge all their services?

Why is Google so much better than other networks? I can only speak for myself here, but looking at Google as a whole with Google+ merging it all speaks for itself. If you look through all the services from Google you use in your everyday life my guess will be that most agree how much it actually contribute to productivity and communication. Unlike Facebook Google seem to understand that it is not so smart to intercept and disturb that communication  by adding noise. My guess is that Google in the foreseeable future may come out as the worlds largest social network because it is suitable to all needs and situations without being intrusive. I also guess the Facebook fatigue will continue to grow as Facebook try to lag peoples communications with commercial content. I don't think that was a good idea and that they chose the easy way out to make money and not the clever one.

So why use Google+? Because it provides more services of better technical quality than any other network to date. It got most of what people really need in everyday life to communicate and create, and that is no small thing.

Creating a digital identity.

For some time now I have wondered what to do regarding this blog. It started when My project was to create an online identity as I have stayed passive regarding main stream social media and by that what is coming up in a Google search. The blog started out in Norwegian, as that seemed proper at the time, but will from now be in English.

So why on earth change it all in to English? You are still a silly viking with a weird bacon fetish, right? Yes Im still a silly viking and I also know the bacon meme is the universal language of yumminess. In the beginning I was using social networking as a very localized service to get jobs and communicate with friends and other people living in Norway. G+ somewhat changed the game. Also the fact that visitors to this blog often use Google translate to get the content make sense is really a heartbreaker as it soes to language what prison rape could do to your ass. I really don't like the thought of that happen to my writing, no matter how silly. Also seeing that most visits to this blog is coming from outside Scandinavia made the decision an easy one

What the purpose is/was, because I frankly don't think I know anymore? From being  a local channel where I just acted locally, G+ has grown to be a global playground to me. Suddenly I gained followers by the thousands, and it all got really strange but fun. Meeting many good and interesting people with interesting posts and opinions or just sharing the fun. Some even became friends in real life. I never in my wildest imagination thought that would happen. The most fun part has been all the engagement that I have met on my way. Guess we all can earn a lot of knowledge from a good discussion.

So? Whats up with this blog thing? Thats a really good question. My social media streams are usually focused at news and G+ is just old fashioned social fun, with memes and sharing the free thought. But, hopefully, there is more to this than just memes and senseless drivel about this and that. I actually from time to time try to write something that makes sense and could be useful to others. I would both keep those more serious articles like an archive here as well as presenting longer pieces for those that are interested.

Only thing I can promise; you will meet me close up and personal, and I will engage with those engaging with me.